The Chronotype Tool

What's your chronotype, and what does it mean?

We are all naturally inclined to require different amounts of sleep and also when we need to sleep.

Complete the following questionnaire to understand what chronotype you are and what you may be able to do to adapt your lifestyle to your chronotype.

Awakening - What time would you get up given the choice?

Bedtime - Approximately what time would you go to bed if you were entirely free to plan your evening?

Morning Alarm - If you usually have to get up at a specific time in the morning, how much do you depend on an alarm clock?

Getting up - How easy do you find it to get up in the morning (when you are not awakened unexpectedly)?

Alertness - How alert do you feel during the first half-hour after you wake up in the morning?

Hunger - Are you hungry within the first 30 minutes?

First 30 - How awake do you feel in the first 30 minutes?

Going to bed - If you had no commitments the next day, what time would you go to bed compared to your usual bedtime?

Physical exercise - You have decided to do physical exercise. A friend suggests that you do this for one hour twice a week, and the best time for him is between 7 and 8 a.m. Bearing in mind nothing but your own internal bodyclock, how do you think you would perform?

Tired in the evening - At approximately what time in the evening do you feel tired, and, as a result, in need of sleep?

Peak Performance - You want to be at your peak performance for a test that you know is going to be mentally exhausting and will last two hours. You are entirely free to plan your day. Considering only your internal bodyclock, which one of the four testing times would you choose?

Bed at 11pm - If you got into bed at 11 p.m., how tired would you be?

Later sleeping pattern - For some reason you have gone to bed several hours later than usual, but there is no need to get up at any particular time the next morning. Which one of the following are you most likely to do?

Overnight task - One night you have to remain awake between 4 and 6 a.m. in order to carry out a night watch. You have no time commitments the next day. Which one of the alternatives would suit you best?

Physical labour - You have two hours of hard physical work. You are entirely free to plan your day. Considering only your internal bodyclock, which of the following times would you choose?

Physical Exercise - You have decided to do physical exercise. A friend suggests that you do this for one hour twice a week. The best time for her is between 10 and 11 p.m. Bearing in mind only your internal bodyclock, how well do you think you would perform?

Working pattern - Suppose you can choose your own work hours. Assume that you work a five-hour day (including breaks), your job is interesting and you are paid based on your performance. At approximately what time would you choose to begin?

Feeling your best - At approximately what time of day do you usually feel your best?

What type are you? - One hears about morning types and evening types. Which one of these types do you consider yourself to be?

Your Chonotype is:

Night owls make up approximately 15% of the population, they tend to fall asleep late and should avoid too many early mornings to achieve sufficient sleep.

Moderate evening types tend to be relatively late risers so need to ensure that they are achieving 7-hours sleep regularly as possible by not working, exercising, socialising or eating too early in the morning on a regular basis.

Intermediate types make up about 55% of the population. People with this intermediate chronotype do well with traditional office hours but also have no problem maintaining a social life in the evenings. Too many early mornings and/or late nights will still be a problem even for this chronotype.

Moderate morning types tend to be relatively early risers so need to ensure that they are achieving 7-hours sleep regularly as possible by not working, exercising, socialising or eating too late in the evening on a regular basis.

The early bird wakes up early and is most productive in the morning, but may have more trouble following a social schedule in the evenings. Early birds with good social lives or late working habits often do not get sufficient sleep of 7+ hours per night. Wherever possible, early birds should also avoid eating or exercising too late in the evening.